Railroad gate malfunction forces highway closure

See why a railroad crossing malfunction led to a two-hour road closure

David Anderson / Staff Writer

Motorists heading along N.C. 11 North got a slight hitch in their travel plans Saturday afternoon, as malfunctioning gates at the highway’s rail crossing forced emergency responders to detour traffic.

The gates where the northbound CSX rail line crosses Ferrell Road and N.C. 11 remained stuck in the down position for more than two hours.

CSX spokeswoman Carla Groleau stated in an email that “system maintenance” was being performed in the area, which could have affected the crossing signals.

“CSX does its very best to minimize impacts to vehicular traffic in the communities in which we operate, and apologizes for any inconvenience to our neighbors,” she wrote.

Traffic heading north on N.C. 11 was detoured onto Grainger Station Road. Southbound traffic was allowed through, but corralled into one lane. Vehicles approaching N.C. 11 from Ferrell snaked through the downed gates to cross the highway.